


the significance of the tenth

by tomxdaya



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen, PeterMJ - Freeform, Spideychelle, literally just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 16:29:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20049085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomxdaya/pseuds/tomxdaya
Summary: Peter Parker and Michelle Jones were both born on the 10th day of the month. And those aren’t the only significant things that happen on the 10th. An insight to soft!petermj through the years :)





	the significance of the tenth

Michelle Jones was born on June 10, 2001 to Albert and Tia Jones in New York City. Her parents had been young, but so in love and ready to start their tiny family on the rainy night that MJ was born. 

As she grew older, she fell in love with the city. Not because of the people, or the pollution, or the traffic. No, it was the busy, beautiful, happy environment that she’d always loved. Everyone was always going somewhere, not caring what anyone else had to do. No one judged. No one looked. And that was comforting to her. 

Until her tenth year of life when her mother was suddenly taken from her in the horrid nightmare that was cancer. She didn’t like to think about it, but it had been a long, unnecessarily slow passing and it had affected both her and her father immensely. While Michelle withdrew from everyone and isolated herself, her father turned to alcohol, stopped acknowledging her and every Friday night, MJ would hear a different woman’s hammered laugh from her parent’s old bedroom. God, she missed her mom. 

It wasn’t until the next year that she began caring about anything, at all. 

On September 10th, Michelle started middle school. Sixth grade, she’d heard, was the most difficult class yet and also the busiest and most crowded. She hated seeing all these kids and their happy families and their siblings and their smiles and excitement about starting a “new chapter” of their extremely young lives. She thought it was stupid. 

And then she met Peter Parker. 

He was...tiny, to say the least. His glasses took up half his face and his braces were the first thing anybody noticed about him because they were such a stark difference from his cute freckles and curly hair. As he slid into the seat next to her in first period biology, she couldn’t help but laugh at his huge iron man t-shirt that hung off his small frame. 

“What?” He said, grinning. 

“Nothing, um,” she covered her mouth, “I like your shirt.”

His smile grew a thousand times bigger. “Thanks!!” He exclaimed. “I like it too.”

Peter Parker was born on August 10, 2001 to Richard and Mary Parker. And it was perfect. They were smart, driven people who loved him more than life. Everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Well, that is, until he was eight and they were killed in that plane crash. Then everything was destroyed and life seemed to just...stop happening. And he let it. For awhile. 

But then he May and Ben took him in and they didn’t let him. And later, he’d be grateful. But right now it seemed unbearable. 

And then he met Michelle Jones on September 10th, on the first day of sixth grade. And he fell in love with her. 

Well. Not really. But it seemed like it, that morning, when she’d pushed her crazy curly bangs back and complimented his favorite shirt. In that moment, she became Peter Parker’s very first crush. And she lit up his whole world with every witty remark she made even at eleven years old. 

And then she started isolating herself. He didn’t know why, but around eighth grade, she stopped hanging out with him and Ned. Things became achingly awkward and he hated it. But, as anyone does, he moved on. 

—

MJ didn’t like Liz. She didn’t know why. It was the most irrational thing she had ever done. Liz was smart and funny and understood her Maya Angelou references when no one else did. Deep down, though, she knew exactly why this was happening, and damn her, it was because of Peter fucking Parker. 

Peter looked at Liz as if she held the entire universe in her eyes alone. As if nothing existed but her. And Michelle saw every glance. Oh yeah, uh, she had gained a small (very small!) crush on him over the years. Not that it was anything to write home about. It definitely wasn’t. But Peter was insanely smart and kind and took the time to care about people when no one else would. She didn’t just like him because of his abs (he had them now, dooming MJ for all eternity, and they were all any girl ever noticed and it pissed her off). No, she saw through that into the actuality of the amazingness that Peter was. And she hated it. 

So, needless to say, every time he’d stare at Liz and go off into la la land, she’d notice. And she wouldn’t like it. 

—

October 10 - sophomore year 

MJ glanced for the 183737th time over to where Peter and Liz were on the gym floor of the homecoming dance to find Liz nowhere to be found. This perked her interest, but she assumed she was probably using the bathroom or reapplying that stupid lipstick that Peter obviously liked so much. Until she saw his face. 

Peter looked...devastated. And very much alone. 

And god, the war between her emotions was really bothering her. She didn’t know if she should approach him or not, and going through the cause and effect of each option was extremely exhausting, especially under the dark lighting of the stuffed and sweaty gym. 

“Fuck it,” She whispered under her breath as she took the daring steps towards a very lonely Peter. 

“Hi, nerd.” 

Peter looked up suddenly and she could tell by his red eyes and faltering smile that he wasn’t okay, contrary to what she knew he was about to tell her.

“Hi, Michelle.” He breathed. 

“Are you-“

“I’m okay!”

She rolled her eyes. “No, you’re not, Parker. Do you wanna talk about it?” 

He looked at her for a second before slowly nodding. “Did you come with-“

“Nope, I, uh, came alone.” She let our awkwardly. “We can get some air, or something.”

They left the gym quickly and went through the back doors to the blacktop, where MJ sat on the cement stairs and patted the empty spot next to her. He sat, and stared down at his feet for a second before speaking. 

“She, um. She only came with me to make Brad jealous.” 

“What?!” 

Peter shushed her sternly before continuing. “Yeah, I guess they’ve had a thing for each other for awhile and someone else asked him before she could. So the second his date left, she went to, um..” 

Michelle nodded in understanding. She looked at him to see him staring up at the cloudless night sky and taking a deep breath. “It’s just stupid, I guess.”

“It’s not stupid.” She said. “Trust me, I’d let you know if it was.”

He let out a shaky laugh and nodded. “Yeah, you totally would.” 

They sat in silence for a second before MJ spoke up. “Well, um, I hope you know that you don’t deserve that. You’re so much better than that. She doesn’t deserve you.” Realizing she’d said way more than she’d initially wanted to, she blushed and looked away from his penetrating gaze. 

“Thanks.” He stated simply before cracking a smile. God, she hated that smile. So much. 

She turned to look back at him before returning it and they shared a weird, non-platonic moment. It freaked her out. And then she relaxed into it. Probably too much. Because the next thing she knew, she was leaning in, and her eyes were closing, her lips were on his, and he wasn’t...doing anything. She pulled back suddenly and stood up, seemingly as startled as he obviously was. His mouth was open in odd shock and his entire face was red. 

“I- oh my god- I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

And without another word, she left him, rushing back into the building and into the girl’s restroom where she would promptly start sobbing at the fact that she’d just ruined any chance with him she might have ever had. 

Little did she know, she’d left Peter shocked at the fact that his crush of four years had just kissed him and he hadn’t done anything about it, and had probably should have. 

You see, MJ had always, always had a hold on him. Liz was...Liz. She’d showed up and had been the pretty, perfect placeholder for what should have been Michelle had she not been so distant and cold with him. For the longest time, he thought she hated him. Until tonight. Tonight had changed everything. 

—  
August 10 - senior year

They hadn’t acknowledged the kiss. They never had. After that night, things had gone back to normal, to the relief of both of them. And slowly, awkwardly, they had formed a friendship. She eventually became part of his close circle. Completely platonically. It was no longer Peter and Ned, it was now Peter, Ned and MJ. And it was content that way. Because they quickly realized, they made such good friends. 

It was Peter’s seventeenth birthday and everyone was gathered at the Parker household. “Everyone” consisted of literally just May, Ned, and MJ, but he liked it that way. Everyone he loved was with him and that was all that mattered. 

As the three of them sang to him while the cake was brought to the dining table, Peter grinned at them, eyes shifting straight to Michelle. Like they always had a habit of doing. And he immediately sensed that something was off. She had a different kind of look in her eyes that he would identify on anyone else as complete and utter love but on MJ, he never knew. So he dismissed it. 

Later that night, they were in his bedroom as May had a conversation with her girlfriend on the phone in the kitchen. Ned had gone home a few minutes ago, and they sat in comfortable silence with each other on his floor. 

“Happy birthday, Parker,” she grinned at him, laughing at the giddiness on his face. “Next year come the responsibilities, so enjoy seventeen.” 

He smiled, blushing. “Thanks, MJ.” 

He looked from the floor to where she sat to find her gazing at him with the same look she had earlier. He wanted to know what it was. 

“What?” He asked, nudging her shoulder with his.

Finally realizing she had been staring, she startled. “Nothing!” 

But it had been too quick, and Peter reached a hand up to brush her hair back. “What is it?” 

And subconsciously, she leaned into him. The redness of both of their cheeks were glaringly obvious to the other as he did the same. 

Suddenly both serious, Michelle whispered, “I think you know what.”

And everything happened very quickly. Without either of them recognizing who initiated it first, their lips moved in tandem as Peter combed both his hands in her hair. Moving onto his lap to make everything easier (and also maybe a little bit for her own pleasure) she groaned into the kiss as it became heated. 

They both stopped for a second, breathing heavily, staring, shocked, into each other’s eyes as if to ask, ‘what are we doing?’ And, as if both deciding to not give a shit, it began again. 

Peter woke up the next morning with her hair in his mouth. He moved a tired hand to remove it and then realized what it was, and what it meant. He opened his eyes to reveal Michelle covered in one of his science tees cuddled up next to him. And he smiled blissfully, deciding to fall back into the abyss that was sleep. For this was the most comfortable he had ever, ever been. 

—  
December 10 - senior year (of college)

A lot of time had gone by since that night. Later that year, Michelle and Peter had both gotten into the universities of their dreams- Harvard and MIT, respectively. And things fell into place. Their freshman year of college they lived in their own dorms, stealing time with the other in coffee shops or libraries or even the occasional fancy date that Peter or MJ could just barely afford. 

By their sophomore year of college, they were sick of living apart. 

So, May had helped them find that tiny apartment that was almost a perfect middle distance from both colleges. And it worked for them. It was tiny, and a little shitty, but it was theirs. That’s all that mattered. 

And that’s where they’d lived for the past two years. 

They’d talked about marriage before. Offhandedly, sometimes, and seriously, sometimes. They’d even talked about kids. Michelle wanted one and Peter wanted five and she didn’t know how on earth they were gonna get past that one. 

And then on a snowy date night in Boston, their talks became reality. 

They ignored all the noise of the city, swinging their joined hands together as MJ shivered in Peter’s coat jacket. She grinned at him, gripping his arm. “Tonight was perfect.” 

He smiled back up at her, nodding. “I thought so, too.” He replied, losing his previous train of thought quickly as he gazed at her, at the snowflakes catching in her curls, at her crooked front tooth he’d always loved poking out from her wide smile, at her tiny eye crinkles that he’d try constantly to make appear by cracking stupid jokes to get her to laugh at him. And then his brain said, quite blatantly, ‘fuck it’. 

MJ noticed that Peter had stopped walking because of their joined hands. She turned quickly to question him before seeing him on his knees on the wet, dirty sidewalk. She looked at him, confused, before recognizing the loving, intense look in his eyes and gasped. 

“Peter, what are you-“

“You know what.” He laughed quietly before regaining his intense expression. 

“I can’t wait another second, MJ.” He whispered, watching her eyes cloud up. “I know we’ve talked about this and shit, maybe we haven’t talked about it enough, but I’ve been thinking about this for so long that I can’t wait anymore.”

She nodded, smiled through the hand covering her mouth. 

“I love you so much. I’ve loved you since I was a kid. And I know I’m not gonna stop anytime soon,” he cleared his throat. “Michelle, will you marry me?” 

And then he produced a gorgeous, small, rose gold ring from his pocket and her world began spinning again as she nodded quickly and laughed through her stupid, stupid tears. She loved this boy way too damn much for her own good. “Sure, why not.” She responded. 

He laughed as she pulled him up from the gross sidewalk and leaned down a bit to kiss him. “I love you, Peter.” She whispered against his lips. As he held her as close as he could, he marveled at the fact that he was lucky enough that he loved a woman like Michelle Jones and she loved him too and that she was everything he had ever wanted and now, he was completely hers. 

—  
May 10, a year and a bit later 

Peter could barely comprehend Ned finishing the wedding vows. MJ stood across from him, gripping his hands, her giddy look mirrored on his own face as he heard, “You may now kiss the bride!” She tugged him towards her and he felt her lips press onto his firmly as their close knit circle in the audience clapped and whistled. He felt her smile against his lips and then pull away, grinning, as he was reminded again that this was happiness. She was his happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! This is way longer than what I usually publish but I hope it’s somewhat good lol. Leave any comments you have, and feel free to leave requests :)


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